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| March 21, 2024, 1:49 p.m.
A horse is born to run. They love it. They live for it. But normally, a horse would run wide, open spaces, as far or short as they want. Some may want to run a long distance. Some may prefer sprints. Some may prefer running in the morning, while others may want to sleep in before enjoying an afternoon romp. The point is that all horses are different.
But horse racing is a structured, scheduled event. The horse must be able to run on command and perform at their best at all times. Since they are not born with this instinct, they must be trained.
A horse trainer does more than run a horse around a track. In fact, actual work with the horse is often delegated to other positions. A horse trainer is part businessman, part manager, and part trainer.
A successful racehorse trainer must effectively operate a business, supervise staff, strategize, and maintain relationships with owners, jockeys, and racetrack officials. Racehorse trainers ensure their horses are fit to race, impart racing skills, manage staff, select races, and communicate with horse owners. They decide the horse's training regimen and administer the necessary medication.
Ultimately, their job is to develop horses into winners or, at the very least, money-makers.
Horse training involves much more than just prepping a horse to race. They are businessmen with businesses that must be well-managed and profitable. Their obligations include the following.
A trainer is a manager responsible for the individuals under his or her supervision. The trainer hires his workers through a vetting process that guarantees they are skilled and ethical. The trainer must supervise these employees, ensuring that the horses are treated with the respect and attention they deserve.
A trainer must provide reliable and accurate accounting to the horse owners. This includes timely updates and transparency in terms of costs and expenditures related to the care and training of the horses.
A trainer is entrusted with acting in the best interests of the owner. This responsibility is not singular but is carried out separately for each owner the trainer works for.
The fiduciary duty requires the trainer to act with utmost good faith, always prioritizing the owner's benefit. This includes making informed decisions regarding the horse's training regimen, their participation in races, their healthcare, and even their diet.
In situations where a potential conflict of interest arises, such as a trainer being asked to purchase a horse for an owner, the trainer is obliged to be transparent about the situation. If the trainer has any interest in a horse being sold or purchased, for instance, if they already have a relationship with the seller, or if they stand to gain in any way from the transaction, they must notify all the owners involved.
This way, the owners can make an informed decision about whether to proceed with the purchase, fully aware of the trainer's interest in the transaction. The trainer must not only disclose their interest but also ensure that it does not interfere with their fiduciary duty. In essence, a trainer's fiduciary duty to each horse owner is a commitment to honesty, transparency, and integrity, ensuring that the owner's interests are always upheld above all else.
All horses are different. It is up to the trainer to choose the right race, pair the horse with the appropriate jockey, and equip it with proper racing gear. Every aspect of the horse’s race day preparation is the trainer’s responsibility.
Trainers monitor the health of every horse they manage. As part of their professional responsibilities, racehorse trainers have a duty to inform the owner about any health issues their horse may have encountered. This includes any signs of illness or injuries the horse may have suffered and behavioral changes. This obligation ensures that the owner stays informed about their horse's health, allowing them to make informed decisions about their horse's care and racing participation.
A horse trainer must have an in-depth understanding of the rules of racing for any particular track where he or she may have a horse participating. This knowledge is essential as it influences the strategy and preparation that goes into ensuring a successful run for the horse under the guidelines and regulations required by each racetrack facility.
Trainers train horses to win races. Despite the enormous pressure to win, it's crucial only to race horses that are fit to run the race. New York and most other states that host horse racing have animal cruelty statutes. These hold trainers accountable for racing horses deemed unfit. It is up to the trainer to ensure the horse is capable or running any particular race.
A trainer must ensure that any medication administered to a horse under their care is fully compliant with the guidelines set forth by the racing commission. They must also respect and abide by the state laws governing the use of such substances. This means that they can only use approved medications that are deemed to be legal and safe within the framework of these rules. Any deviation from this could lead to significant consequences for the trainer and all parties involved, including legal prosecution or revoking of their license.
Horses are not born ready to ride. They must be taught to allow a rider to guide the horse’s actions and movements. This begins with an introduction to the equipment the horse must wear.
From their earliest months, racehorse yearlings experience consistent handling to prepare them for the world of racing. This handling typically involves the use of a lead rope attached to a halter, guiding the young equine in its first steps toward becoming a racehorse. This early stage is crucial, as it forms the foundation for more formal training.
As the yearlings mature, the introduction to more complex elements of their training begins. A key part of this process is acquainting the horses with their riding gear. This is a meticulous process, carried out slowly and carefully to ensure the horse's comfort and adaptability.
The initial phase involves the use of a horse blanket. This blanket is gently placed on the horse and then removed, helping the horse familiarize itself with the sensation of having a foreign object on its body. This step is repeated until the horse shows comfort with the blanket, demonstrating adaptability that is crucial in the stages to come.
The next stage involves the introduction of a bit and saddle. Like the blanket, these items are introduced gradually, keeping the horse's comfort at the forefront. The bit and saddle, crucial for controlling and riding the horse, are introduced while the horse is still a yearling. This early introduction allows the horse ample time to get used to these pieces of equipment.
This careful, step-by-step process is designed to ensure that the yearling becomes a well-adjusted, race-ready horse.
Once the horses are adequately accustomed to the riding gear, the subsequent step is the act of riding itself. This progression is typically slow and gradual, ensuring that the horse is comfortable at every stage. The initial step in this process involves saddling and tacking the horse, familiarizing it with the feel and weight of the gear.
Following this, an individual lies across the horse's back while still in the stall. This step is designed to acclimatize the horse to the weight of a rider. The horse's reaction to this is keenly observed and based on its response, this step is repeated until the horse showcases a level of comfort with the process.
Once all involved parties are satisfied with the horse's comfort and response, the rider then mounts the horse within the confinement of the stall. This initial mount is followed by a gentle lead into the barn breezeway, allowing the horse to get used to the movement with a rider on its back.
As the horse grows more familiar with the rider and the process, the complexity of the process increases. The horse is mounted and ridden around a smaller enclosure, such as a pen, and then graduated to a larger space, like a paddock. This gradual increase in space allows the horse to adjust to the rider's cues and commands in a controlled environment before moving onto larger, open spaces.
Once the horse clearly understands the rider’s cues and commands, it begins training in a large pasture. Here, it is introduced to jogging and galloping and learns to adjust its pace according to the rider's instructions.
The final stage of training takes the horse to the training track, where it is introduced to riding alongside a pony horse. This step familiarizes the horse with the concept of running alongside another horse, preparing it for a race environment.
All horses are individuals and require varying techniques and time frames to adjust to the training process. Some may take to it quickly, while others may require a more extended period of gradual training. There is no universal, one-size-fits-all approach to training a horse. The process is tailored to each horse's comfort and pace.
In the early days of horse racing, the starting process was much simpler than it is now. Horses would line up, either behind a rope or in as straight a line as feasibly possible. The rope would then be raised or lowered, or a flag would be waved, signaling the start of the race. This method, however, was far from perfect and left room for a lot of inconsistencies.
A significant change came on July 1, 1939, when Clay Puett's first electric starting gate made its debut at Lansdowne Park in Vancouver, Canada. This innovation entirely revolutionized the horse racing industry. Horses are now led into a gate made up of individual stalls, with both the front and back of each stall designed to open and close. Once a runner is securely inside, the stall doors are closed. The starter then presses a button once all the horses are in position. This action simultaneously opens all the front gates, and the race begins.
Horses need time to acclimate to these compact stall enclosures which can be frightening to some. Training begins with simple steps like walking in and out of the gates. Over time, they are taught to stand for extended periods within the space. Eventually, they learn to break from the gate into a run
The starting gates are tight quarters that most horses are not accustomed to. Therefore, this training must be introduced early in their careers to ensure they are comfortable and perform well on race day.
When a horse is in motion, particularly at a gallop, the legs on one side of its body will typically extend farther than those on the other side. This asymmetrical pattern of leg movement is known as leading. A horse will tire more quickly if it maintains the same lead for an extended period, which makes teaching it to change leads on command a priority in training.
In North America, races are conducted in a counter-clockwise direction. This means that when a horse is running down a straight portion of the track, it will generally be on its right lead, with its right legs extending farther than its left. Conversely, during the turns of the track, the horse will switch to its left lead.
To clarify, 'leads' in equine terminology refer to which front foot is leading when the horse is running. For instance, a horse that is running with a right lead will land its left rear foot on the ground first.
While a racehorse is learning to switch leads on command, he is simultaneously undergoing conditioning. This process is akin to an athlete slowly preparing for an event, starting with routine jogs and gallops in the early morning hours. In the United States, most racehorses are stabled at tracks or training centers, facilitating morning training sessions for conditioning.
As the horse conditioning improves, the intensity of the exercise gradually increases. Eventually, the runner will "work" or "breeze," running at a more robust pace for a set distance. These runs are timed, providing an indication of fitness and race readiness.
The trainer must determine the appropriate speed, distance, and frequency of these exercises. Although trainers may have preferred conditioning methods, they must be adaptable to each horse's needs. Each horse has a distinct personality and will respond differently to training; some thrive with daily training, while others require more rest. A skilled trainer must recognize these differences and modify the training schedules accordingly. As race day approaches, further adjustments to the runners' workouts are made.
When horses have a long break from racing (several months or more), they typically need to race again to reach their optimal condition. This scenario is similar to professional athletes using pre-season games for conditioning.
Some trainers prepare a horse to win immediately after a layoff using intense morning workouts. Others use actual races to bring the horse back to its peak condition. The optimal time to place a bet is during the horse's third race after the layoff. By this time, the horse's muscles should be well-conditioned. Even if the trainer didn't adequately prepare the horse for the initial comeback race, it would have essentially raced itself into good condition. However, it's important to note that the horse should have shown some signs of improvement in its previous races.
A hot walker, as the name suggests, walks horses. After a workout or a race, a jockey hands over the horse to the hot walker who then walks him. This activity allows the horse's body to cool down before he is returned to his stall.
After the horse is cooled down, the hot walker helps the groom wash the horse thoroughly. Once this is done, the horse is handed over to the groom for further care. The role of a hot walker serves as a stepping stone towards becoming a trainer.
The groom, a step up from the hot walker, is responsible for the daily care of the horses assigned to him, typically around four in total.
Upon arrival at the barn, the groom checks the morning schedule to determine each horse's individual training routine. This schedule helps the groom prepare each horse accordingly - some may require a special diet, some might need specific tack, while others may need a rub down. Concurrently, the groom begins the stall cleaning routine, which includes washing buckets and mucking out stalls.
For horses scheduled to work out in the morning, the groom prepares them by wrapping their legs if needed, cleaning their feet, brushing them down, and saddling and tacking them.
After the workout, the groom will reverse this process and check for any physical issues. Typically, he rubs the horse's legs, applies a salve or rubbing alcohol, and wraps their legs with polo wraps.
The groom usually completes his morning routine before noon. He returns to the barn in the afternoon to check on his horses and feed them. On race day, he leads his horse to the paddock to be saddled.
Being an exercise rider is physically demanding and dangerous. Typically, they ride six to eight horses each morning. They need to understand each horse and apply the trainer's instructions during training exercises.
Effective exercise jockeys can maintain the pace set by the trainer. They understand each horse's tendencies, energy level, and fitness level.
Exercise riders often detect subtle signs of lameness, allowing for early intervention before issues become serious. Their duties include making sound judgments and accurately communicating information about the horse's health, performance, and temperament to the trainer.
The role requires high-level riding skills and the ability to interpret and relay information under a variety of circumstances. If a groom is not too large, they can advance to the position of exercise rider.
The foreman is directly supervised by the assistant trainer and oversees the stable's daily operations. They relay the instructions of the trainer or assistant trainer to the rest of the staff. In some tracks, the rules allow a foreman to act on behalf of the trainer on race days.
A foreman needs excellent horsemanship skills, a thorough understanding of horses, and experience with racehorse handling and training methods. Additionally, they must have strong communication skills and a comprehensive knowledge of safety procedures regarding the training and preparation of horses.
In most states, licensing is required for assistant trainers. As an assistant, you'll be managing a set of horses under a trainer's guidance, and you should be capable of performing all the trainer's functions.
By this stage, an assistant trainer should have a comprehensive understanding of the industry and have acquired the skills necessary to perform all tasks and duties associated with running a racing establishment.
To become a licensed trainer, one typically needs letters of recommendation from other trainers and must pass a written test demonstrating knowledge of horse anatomy, disease, medication, relevant rules and regulations, and training procedures and equipment.
A practical examination is also required to prove understanding of horse anatomy, lameness and disease, and horse care.
Racehorse trainers often work long hours nearly every day, with only part of their time spent with the horses. They typically start their day at the barn or training facility at four in the morning and finish before noon. However, this is just the start of their workday. The rest of the day is spent interacting with staff, owners, veterinarians, and race track officials. Being a trainer requires a love for the job, as it's not unusual for them to work over 60 hours a week.
Training horses is not a lucrative business for most. According to the 2019 Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the top 10% of animal trainers earned over $56,580 ($25.76 per hour). This figure, however, includes all types of animal trainers. Let's explore how horse trainers earn their income.
Day rates are meant to cover the costs associated with horse upkeep, including bedding, feed, use of stable equipment and tack, exercise rider, groom, and other employee salaries.
These rates do not account for veterinarian costs, farrier expenses, medications, jockey fees, and various other incidental expenses. Private trainers, who train exclusively for one owner, may receive a fixed salary. Day rates fluctuate by track and typically range from $45-$100 per day.
Trainers and jockeys often receive 10% of the purse. The purse is usually divided among the top five finishers in a race. Track officials directly pay these funds.